1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to telecommunications systems and, more particularly, to a method and system for using location data to monitor wireless network events.
2. Description of Related Art
In a cellular radio communication system (wireless communications network), an area is divided geographically into a number of cell sites, each defined by a radio frequency (“RF”) radiation pattern from a respective base transceiver station (“BTS”) antenna. The BTS antennas in the cells are in turn coupled to a base station controller (“BSC”), which is then coupled to a telecommunications switch or a gateway, thereby facilitating communication with a telecommunications network such as the public switched telephone network (“PSTN”) or the Internet.
When a mobile terminal, such as a cellular telephone, a pager, or a portable computer, for instance, is positioned in a cell, the mobile terminal communicates via an RF interface with the BTS antenna of the cell. Consequently, a communication path is established between the mobile terminal and the telecommunications network, via the air interface, the BTS, and the gateway.
With the explosive growth in demand for wireless communications, network resources can be stressed. For instance, as the level of call traffic increases, the likelihood of interference between mobile terminals can increase substantially. In response to such an increase in call traffic, the base station of the cell may instruct all mobile terminals in the cell to decrease their transmission power, and the base station may itself begin to communicate at a lower power level with each mobile terminal. With lower transmission power, however, call quality can diminish, and calls may be lost.
Further, as cities and landscapes evolve, changes to topography can substantially effect the operation of a wireless network. For instance, as buildings and trees rise or fall in or around a predetermined area, the location patterns in the area may change drastically. As a result of new or changed signal reflections, for instance, the signal-to-noise ratio may become unacceptably low, and calls may be dropped.
To help manage the call traffic in congested or evolving areas and in other circumstances, a service provider may make changes to the network, such as by repositioning cell sites, subdividing cell sites into a number of sectors, adding new cell sites, or reallocating frequencies among various coverage areas. However, in order to effectively decide when and where such changes should be made, and to provide subscribers with acceptable and expected quality of service, a need still exists for a system and method for monitoring wireless network events.